During our first ten days on the River Danube, we have very quickly come to realise that this river is a fickle mistress. One minute the water is flowing quickly through beautiful scenery, a gentle tailwind helping us on our way... The next minute, the flow has vanished and we’re battling headwinds and waves comparable to our days on the sea around England, our progress all but halted. After the routine we had established on the Main and Main-Donau Canal, this sudden change and unpredictability has come as somewhat of a shock to us.

Since our last expedition update over two weeks ago, Kate and I have thrown ourselves into a big push in order to complete the Main and Main-Donau Canal, an accumulative distance of over 465km across Germany. Life on the Main was, simply put, a good life. Though paddling upstream, the flow was gentle enough to not hinder our progress too much meaning we were able to cover a good distance most days.

After an enjoyable two days off in the beautiful city of Strasbourg, it was time for Kate and I to leave behind the safety and comfort of the French canals in order to join the Rhine. Knowing that this was Europe’s busiest river (in terms of boat traffic) with a much stronger current than anything we had faced before, Kate and I were feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

This past week of paddling got off to an exceptionally good start. We were treated to four days of beautiful weather and every aspect of each day went smoothly. We’re making our way through idyllic, gently rolling countryside and farmland, the river winding its way between fields of crops and cows. We even cracked the locks conundrum at the start of the week meaning it now takes a total of ten minutes to get through a lock!